L x Reader- Childhood Love
by Belgian Babe
Summary: A little peek at you and L's life and times. Made for Tazzy. Review, please


In the streets of a dark, cold, city, rain poured down on the pavement mercilessly, permeating the usually silent night with the distant rolls of thunder in the distance, rain slishing and sloshing everywhere, and the occasional flashes of lightning illuminating every nook and cranny of London's alleyways for a flicker of a moment. A little boy wandering down the concrete pathways, weaving in and out of in between buildings and trash cans, sways slightly, pulling his baggy, dingy, ratty and long-torn white-ish turtleneck ever closer to try and keep himself warm.

It had been a harsh life for him. He tried not to think about it, but the more he tried to avoid every little detail of the five years of his young life, the more it seemed to oppress and obliterate he and his thoughts and his heart to near nothingness.

It hurt.

He had nowhere to go, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide… just the long, dark treks between elusive, rotten meals and his instincts of survival. That was the only thing he could depend on.

Needless to say, at the age of five years, nine months, and 3 days, little L Lawliet had lost all faith in humanity. He thought everyone harsh, cruel creatures with no compassion or mercy in any way, shape, form, or fashion.

Thus, it never surprised him when local teenagers found their innermost sadistic side whenever they saw him and drove after him, even on the sidewalk, pursuing him relentlessly and thoroughly exhausting him at least every other day of the week. His tiny little malnourished body could only withstand so much, and it was reaching its limits.

It was during one of these chases that his life began to change.

"Hah… hah… hah…" He panted, hiding in the narrow between-space of two apartment buildings.

"Oi, ya lil' brat- where'd you go off to?" one called maliciously from the streets. L heard them, he heard their breathing, their footsteps, and it was less than a few feet away from him. Quickly deciding he was extremely uncomfortable in that situation, he took off, running down the sidewalk and hearing the teens lumbering after him.

He wove in and out of passages, between walls, scrambled over a fence or two, all the while fearing the terrible fate of a quite literal dead end.

Slowing down, he realized with instant relief they were gone. They had given up on the chase at last. He let himself catch a breather before speeding up again, wanting to put some distance between himself and-

"Oof!"

He fell face-forward onto the ground, busting up his lip slightly and scraping his knee, effectively tearing his shirt and ripping the dinky shorts he donned a little more.

Sitting up, he examines his hands and knees, wiping the blood off his chin with his sleeve as it dripped onto the ground below and the rain washed it away and stung his knee and hands.

L cried.

He cried and cried, the first tears he's ever actually let fall so uncontrollable before in his life. His tears streamed down his cheeks and mixed with the rain along with his blood and he wrapped his arms around his knees, sobbing pathetically with little occasional wails of sadness that permeated the air around him with pure regret and longing, drenching the scene in an overall vision of sadness.

You walked forward cautiously, clutching your little (f/c) umbrella just above your head, enough to see the dark-haired boy crying on the sidewalk. Your mommy had told you not to talk to strangers. But he was crying, and he looked even younger than you. He was slightly smaller, frailer, and so… delicate. You wanted to go over and hug him, but you barely knew him!

"E-excuse me…" You say, just loud enough to be heard over the rain, anxiously pressing your (f/c) rain boots' heels together. He jumps back at the sound of your voice, looking around in paranoia before meeting your eyes with big, dark, frightened ones. "Are you okay…? You look hurt…"

"I-I'm fine." He stutters out, watching you cautiously. You take a deep breath and walk forward a step, holding your hand out to him with a happy smile on your face. He looks at you with curious orbs.

"Why don't you come home wif me?" You say kindly, tilting your head to the side, your (h/c) locks falling slightly over your shoulders. "My umbrella should be big enough to cover us."

He sniffs slightly, wiping his nose on his sleeve but takes your hand cautiously, poised to run if need be. You help him up and hand him your handkerchief from the pocket of your (f/c) Sunday dress, moving slowly and non-threateningly, like with a friend. He takes it after a second, staring down at it in his hand before wiping his knees and chin and palms before handing it back. You smile, shaking your head.

"I can get a new one from Mr. Wammy back at the house. It's almost dinner time- why don't you stay with us for a while?" You say politely. He blinks and nods hesitantly. You thrust out your hand, grinning with a gap-toothed smile. "I'm (y/n). What's your name?"

"…" He blinks again before shaking your hand awkwardly. "I'm L."

Many years had gone by, and you and L were very close. After that night, he had been taken into the same orphanage as you, since your parents had died close to your birth and you had no other relatives you were incorporated into Wammy's House, letting you two basically live your lives together.

You'd gone through thick and thin, good and bad times, gone through the mood swings, the anger, the protectiveness from both sides of this friendship. Every once in a while you and L seemed to be off with each other, but in a few hours everything was always fine. You two knew everything about each other, knew your likes and dislikes, everything.

He was your one true best friend, and it was the same for him.

Even when the fateful day came when you and L were moved to separate dorms because you had gotten too old to sleep together, the first person you wanted to see was him, and vice versa. You would always meet up after everything in an effort to spend time with him at the farthest corner of the rec room, where nearly no one went.

One day, however, he wasn't there.

He wasn't there at lunch, or dinner, or the next day either, for that matter.

"Mr. Wammy, have you seen- oh." You stop, mid-burst into the main office, where Mr. Wammy usually was. He wasn't there. Instead, a man you knew was named Roger Ruvie. "Mr. Ruvie."

"(y/n)…" He says solemnly. "I have something you need to hear."

"What do you mean he's not coming back?!" You ask in despair. "Is he alright?!"

"Yes, I can assure Quillsh and L are alright. They're… doing something. I'm not sure if they'll… ever be back." He says sadly, resting a hand on your shoulder. "But I'm sure you'll see them again someday."

You nod silently, stunned. "Yes, sir. Thank you. I'll… be leaving now."

He watches you sadly as you walk out the door, not even stopping once as people ask what's wrong around you and you head straight to your dorm, skipping everything that day.

You left Wammy's House the next year.

After being accepting into the IB program in high school, many other students that had been with you in Wammy's House did too. Wammy's always did have a high reputation of gifted children.

That being said, you took advantage of it, more or less, and decided to go to a school in Japan. To-Oh University, studying the law, to be exact. You had always been interested in the ways of the court, but after L left you… you were but an empty shell. You went through the motions of everyday life, hiding your sadness behind your fake smiles and laughter so not to worry the people you loved so.

If L was here, he would be able to tell you were acting.

If L was here, you wouldn't be feeling this sad all the time.

It was your first year, and you had quite a boring schedule- full of nothing but overcomplicated court matter classes. You really regretted taking this on, but you had started it already, so you were going to finish it.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

You jerked out of your thoughts in surprise, looking up at one of your colleagues- the best in the class, to be truthful- Light Yagami. "Oh, no. You can sit."

"Thank you." He smiles kindly. You fake-smile back and get back to work, taking notes.

By transition time in class, you sigh, looking at your sheet of notebook paper that was supposed to be covered in notes but instead was filled with little snippets of L. You always had a knack for capturing real life images within your art, and you were recalling one of the last times you had seen him, when he had began to grow bags under his eyes from staying up too late…

_Happy birthday, buddy. Miss you more each year… _You write sadly, not paying attention to anything around you but getting the little details of his features. Finishing the paper and signing off with a swish of your hand to mark the date, you finally come back to reality, just to realize Light was looking from the corner of his eyes at your drawings. You blush and draw it back towards your chest but he smiles.

"Your art is really good." He says. His voice sounds slightly off, as if he's guarded…

"Th-thank you." You smile. "Very much."

"You know, he looks just like someone I know." Light says, seemingly offhandedly. Your eyes widen and you look at him in surprise, hope reigniting with a blazing fury in your chest for the first time in literal years.

"Really?" You ask, "May I meet him? I-I mean- if it's not-,"

"No, it's fine." Light smiles, slightly suspicious looking, but you don't even care. You might be able to see him again! "He and I are meeting up in a few minutes for lunch. Would you like to come?"

"I-if I'm not intruding or anything, that seems lovely." You say politely.

Come lunch time, you could barely sit still. You were fidgeting in excitement, a new fire in your eyes reappearing. Light had never seen you this way, ever- even when you had been met with apparently close friends before leaving on the bus or any other way. It really made him wonder how much he knew you; even if you were practically strangers.

"So, uhm, Light… may I ask where we're going?" You ask kindly. He smiles.

"Just a café around the corner. We usually meet up there."

"I see." You follow a little behind Light, walking in a comfortable silence. He leads you to the door of the café, opening the door politely for you to walk in. You look around at everything- it was a pretty decent little Café, one you could definitely see yourself coming to often.

"We usually sit over here." He leads you to a booth and lets you choose a side, sitting across from you.

"Thank you very much for letting me join you." You say sincerely. He smiled.

"It's no problem at all. May I ask how you know Ryuuga, though?" He asks. You blink before remembering one of L's many alias- he would use that name whenever he got in trouble to avoid punishment, the little sneak. But then again, you did it too.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think he would particularly like me saying anything." You say, thinking, smiling to yourself. "He's a very secretive person. But he's… an old friend of mine."

"I see." Light says interestedly. "I don't mean to be rude, but your accent… it's British. Why are you at To-Oh? I've been wondering for quite some time."

"Oh, it's just something that's always interested me… plus I'm really good at arguing my point." You smile. "I'm… not actually sure why I did, to be honest."

"Oh." Light chuckles. "Are you in any art program? You're amazing with that pencil."

"No, I'm afraid not." You giggle. "I haven't been myself the past couple of months… but no matter. It means a lot, thank you."

"Really, Light, bringing a date along to one of our lunches?" A voice says to your right, "Mrs. Misa was an exception."

You look up in surprise at the source of the voice, eyes widening slightly at the sight of his pale skin, dark hair, exact same fashion sense, his dark eyes- oh, those eyes, you forgot how much you missed them… He turns, looking down at you before his eyes widen too. "(y-y/n)?"

"It… It really is you!" You smile, covering your mouth in glee. He blushes slightly as you stand up quickly and hug him tightly, resting your head on his shoulder. He holds you carefully, smiling a bit as you pull away. "I thought I would never see you again! You scared me so badly!"

"My apologies, (y/n)." He says, returning to his poker face but obviously happier. You sit back down and he joins you, sitting in his own way as usual.

"Hello, Ryuuga." Light greets happily. L nods.

"Hello, Light. May I ask how you know (y/n)?"

"We're in the same class. I looked over and saw her drawing and invited her to lunch."

"I see." L says simply. You smile happily, shuffling through your bag to get the paper before handing it to him shyly. He takes it, opening it up and holding it with a thumb and forefinger. His eyes widen in slight curiosity as he examines the picture.

"I've- uhm- been drawing and doing things on your birthday every year… but I never knew where to send them." You blush slightly. "I missed you so much."

"This… is me, right? When I was fourteen…" He says in awe, looking the picture over even more. "It looks amazing."

"Thank you." You smile wider. "What've you been doing all these years?"

He looks down at you slightly and blinks. "I can't tell you here, maybe later. Light, guide her to the headquarters after University hours are over. I'll explain everything then."

Light watches, clueless, but nods nonetheless.

"Did Mr. Wammy go with you? He left the House… Mr. Rogers is still waiting for him to come back." You say. He nods.

"Watari works with me. Don't worry, he's fine."

"You look like you haven't slept in years- you know, that's bad for you. I never should've let you start hoarding sweets." You teasing, looking at the bags under his eyes. He blushes.

"Sleeping deprives my brain of the absolute extent of alertness needed for my deductive reasoning." He says simply. A maid walks by and hands L a plate of strawberry cake and Light a cup of coffee.

"What may I get for you, ma'am?" She asks you.

"May I have some chocolate cake, if there is any?" You lick your lips. She nods, disappearing and reappearing with a slice of cake and giving it to you. "Thank you."

You, L, and Light sit the rest of the lunch break smiling, laughing, and talking happily, your heart full to bursting with happiness at the rediscovery of your best friend.

"L, Light is here." You smile from the doorway. "And he brought Mrs. Misa!"

"Lovely, let them in." L calls out.

It's been five years since you and Light graduated from To-Oh University.

Sometime around Christmas in the middle of the year, you and L had moved into an apartment together, thinking it nice to finally have that one special friend back at last.

He had told you everything, all the cases, all the adventures, everything since he left Wammy's House. He gave you all the gifts he had bought on sheer account that if- or rather, _when_ he saw you again- he would give them to you because you had always said you wanted one or liked them.

You stuck to each other better than if someone had actually super glued and duck taped you two together, and it was only inevitable that finally, after all that you've been through, he asked you to be his girlfriend. You agreed happily, and you two had a happy, healthy relationship, getting through tough times of all kinds.

Tonight was your birthday party. L had insisted on having one, and you finally agreed, inviting all your friends and "family" from the orphanage to come and have a fun time at you and L's spacious apartment.

"L, dear, come out from the kitchen and stop eating the sweets! They're for the guests right now!" You giggle, letting Light in happily. "Come in, please! Thank you for coming!"

"Thank you for inviting us!" Misa says happily, clinging to Light's arm. L slinks in, standing next to you and greeting everyone before taking over "Door Duty," as you called it, to invite the guests in.

The party moved so fast. Everyone came- Watari, Mr. Rogers, Light, Misa, Linda, Mello, Near, Matt- all the boys with their weird new nicknames. Your apartment was comfortably crowded, full of loved ones you and L had grown and loved with.

_I wonder why L wanted so many people to come._ You think curiously in the back of your head as you keep a conversation with a few other people.

Suddenly, the sound of metal gently tapping glass resonated throughout the rooms, calling everyone to attention as Light, a man you had come to be great friends with, stood cheerfully, Misa at his side and a glass and spoon in his hand.

"May I have everyone's attention, please?" He called out. "I know it's not really my place at this party, but I feel the need to raise a toast for (y/n). She's a wonderful lady with smarts and style, unique to her, and in every way possible, a match made by God himself for the one and only L Lawliet. I wish you both a happy and healthy relationship, one that transcends the very possibility of humanoid comprehension. So, here's a toast- to (y/n)!"

"To (y/n)!" Everyone called out, raising their glass. They all took a sip, but then, the one and only L Lawliet dropped his drink, lurching forward.

"L?" You say in surprise as he falls to his knees. Everyone gasps and backs away as you rush over to help L as he clutched his chest. "L! What's wrong?!" Tears well up in your eyes in fright as you pull him into your arms. He looks up at you with half-lidded, foggy eyes and a tear rolls down your cheek as he parts his lips, speaking into the sudden, soul-wrenching silence of the room.

"(y/n)… I need to ask you something…" He says quietly. You look down at him in fear for him as more tears stream down your cheeks, crystalline (e/c) eyes wide.

"W-what is it, dear?" You say lovingly. He suddenly leans up, connecting your lips with his before pulling away, making you sit with your shins on either side of your legs as he kneels on one knee, looking directly into your teary (e/c) eyes.

"(y/n), will you marry me?"

The whole room takes a collective gasp, and you do too, and you break into a smile as his mischievous grin spreads across his face as he pulls out the box, revealing a shining gold diamond ring.

"L…" You cover your mouth in surprise, eyes full of tears still, but tears of joy. "Yes! Yes, I will marry you!"

You hold out your hand and everyone claps as he slips on the ring, helping your stand up and pulling you close for a loving kiss before breaking away gently, hugging you.

"I love you." He murmurs.

"I love you more." You whisper back. He kisses your cheek and you pull away again, letting the claps and cheer and wolf whistles (mainly from the Wammy Boys sitting in the corner, along with Wammy himself) engulf you in a happy haze, letting you enjoy the magic of the moment.


End file.
